Combined friction and direct-acting spring draft-rigging for railway-cars.



PATENTE-D APR. 19, 1904.

I. B. TOWNSEND. COMBINED FRICTION AND DIRECT ACTING SPRING DRAFT RIGGING FOR RAILWAY CARS.

APPLIUATION FILED JAN,14, 1904.

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' PATENTED' APR. 19, I904.

I I. B. TOWNSEND. COMBINED FRICTION AND DIRECT AGTING SPRING DRAFT 'RIGGING FOR RAILWAY GARS.

APPLIUATION FILED JAN. 14. 1904.

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UNITED STATES Fatented April 19,1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK B. TOWNSEND, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, .ASSIGNOR TO W. H. MINER COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A. CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

COMBINED FRICTION AND DIRECT=ACTING SPRINGDRAFT-RIGGING fOR RAILWAY CARSI SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 757,579,

dated April 19, 1904.

- Application filed January 14,1904. Serial No. 188,949. (No model.)

- of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in a Combined Friction and Direct-Acting Spring Draft-Rigging for Railway-Cars, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to combined friction and direct acting spring draft rigging for railway-cars.

The object of my invention is to provide a combined friction and direct-acting spring draft-rigging of a simple, strong, efficient, and durable construction, the side plates or stop-castings of which may be of simple ordinary form and apply to the draft-timbers or center sills of the car in the usual manner and which will operate effectually and reliably to cushion both pullin g' and bufiing strains by the direct action of the spring when the strains are light and both by the frictional resistance and by the tension of the direct-acting spring when the strains are heavy.

My invention consists in the means I employ to practically accomplish this object or result that is to say, it consists, in connection with the carcoupler,draw-bar,draw-bar extension, and a pair of side plates or stop-castings having front and rear stops, of a transversely-acting spring and longitudinally-acting spring-followers, a pair of transversely-movable friction plates or blocks having oppositely-inclined friction-faces and a longitudinally-moving friction shell or case having a pair of oppositely-inclined friction-faces engaging the corresponding friction-faces on said friction plates or blocks, and a spring-seat interposed between the rear end of the direct-acting spring and the rear follower and having flanges or shoulders engaging corresponding flanges or shoulders on the longitudinallymovable friction shell or case to restore the same to position when the strain is removed and the direct-acting spring expands. The rear follower under pulling strains moves the longitudinally sliding friction shell or case with the draw-bar, while the front follower holds the transversely-movable friction plates or blocks from longitudinal movement and through them holds the middle follower also stationary, and thus compresses both the longitudinally-acting and the transverselyacting springs, the direct-acting spring having an initial compression ,due to the interposed spring-seat before the sliding friction shell or case begins to move, and under bufiing strains the rear follower, after the directacting spring receives its initial compression, holds the sliding friction shell or case stationary, while the front follower moves the transversely-movable friction plates or blocks longitudinally with the draw-bar and through them the middle follower also, and thus causes both the longitudinally-acting and the transversely-acting springs to be compressed, and in both cases, pulling and bufling, the frictional resistance of the interengaging inclined friction-faces on the shell or'case and on the' friction plates or blocks is added to the resistance of the springs.

My invention also consists in the novel construction of .parts and devices and in the novel combinations of parts and devices herein shown and described.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure l is a central vertical longitudinal section of a combined friction and direct-acting sp'ringdraft-rigging embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a cross-section on line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig.4 is a detail perspective view of the interposed spring-seat. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of one of the transversely-movable friction plates or blocks, and Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the longitudinally-sliding.

friction shell or case.

. In the drawings, A A represent the center sills of a car, A the cross-sill, A the bufferplate, and A the carry-iron of a railway-car.

B is the draw-bar of the coupler B,and B 4 is the draw-bar extension, the same being preferably in the form of a yoke or strap secured to the draw-bar by the rivet .7) and interengaging shoulders bji.

C, C, and C are the followers, and D D are the side plates or stop-castings, the samehavi'ng front and rear stops d d for the front and rear followers to abut against and upper and lower guides d d, in or on which the followers and the sliding friction shell or case H-reciprocate, the lower guide d being removably secured in place by a bolt d to facilitate the insertion and removal of thedraft-rigging.

E is a longitudinally-arranged spring between the middle and rear followers 0 G a spring-seat K being'interposed'between the rear end of the spring E and the rear fol-.

lower C A F is a transverselyrarranged spring between the transversely-movable friction plates or blocks G G.

The transversely-movable friction plates or blocks G G have oppositely-inclined frictionfaces g g, which bear against corresponding inclinedfriction-faces h h on the sliding or longitudinally-movable friction shell or case H, which is preferably rectangular in crosssection, as shown in the drawings. The longitudinally-movable friction she-ll or case H has an interior shoulder or'fiange. ]L/- atits rear.

end, which engages a corresponding exterior flange or shoulder k on the interposed spring seat orblock K. The spring seat or blockK projects through therea-rendof the sliding friction shell or case H, and thus permits an initial ,or'limited compression of the directacting spring E before the rear follower engagesthe rear end of the sliding friction shell-or case H. The transversely-movable friction plates ,or blocks G G are. interposed between the front and middle followers C C,

and the friction of their end faces g? g against.

the followers C C affords a material frictional resistance. in addition to that produced by the friction of the inclinedv friction faces g 9 against the similarly-inclined friction-faces]; h of the shell or case H. The friction plates or blocksG G are chambered out at g to give additional length or room for the transverselyacting spring F, thus forming inwardly-projecting end flanges g g at the front and rear ends of the friction blocks or plates G G. The

' interposed spring-seat block K not only serves to permit an initial or limited compression of the directlyacting.spring E before the frictional resistance is brought into action, but

. also serves to restore the sliding friction-shell H to its normal position. Smallsprings e f may preferablybe inclosed within the springs E andF, respectively. I claim I 1. In a combined friction and direct-acting springdraft-rigging, the combination with a draw-bar, draw-bar extension, side plates or spring, a pair of transversely-movable friction plates orblocks, a longitudinally-movable friction shell or case and a spring seat or block interposed between the rear end of the longitudinally-acting spring and the rear follower, said spring seat or block and said longitudinally-movable friction shell or case having interengaging shoulders, substantially as specified.

3. In a combined friction and direct-acting spring drafterigging, the combination with a draw-bar, draw-bar extension, side plates or stop-castings and followers, of a longitudinally acting spring, a transversely acting spring, a pair of transversely-movable friction plates or blocks having inclined friction-faces, a longitudinally-movable friction shell or case having inclined friction-faces engaging the inclined friction-faces of said transverselymovable friction plates or blocks, and a spring seator block interposed between the. rearend of the longitudinal spring and the rear follower, substantially as specified.

4. In a combined friction and direct-acting springdraft-rigging, the combination with a draw-bar, draw-barv extension, side plates or stop-castings and followers, of a longitudinally acting spring, a transversely-acting spring, a pair oftransversely-movable friction.

plates orblocks having inclined friction-faces, a longitudinally-movable friction shell or case having inclined friction-faces engaging the inclined friction-faces of said transversely-movable friction plates or blocks and a spring seat or block interposed between the rear end of the longitudinal spring and the rear follower, said spring seat or block and said friction shell or case having interengaging shoulders to cause said shell or case to return to its normal position as the longitudinal spring expands, substantially as specified.

5. The combination with a draw-bar, drawbar extension, side plates or stop-castings and followers, of a transversely-acting spring, a longitudinally-acting spring, a pair of transversely-movable friction-blocks against which said transversely-acting spring bears, and having inclined friction-faces, a longitudinallymovable friction shell or case surrounding and takingthe lateral thrust of said transverselymovable friction-blocks and having inclined gitudinally-acting spring expands, substanfricti0nface engaging tlhe inclined irictiontialiy as specified. v faces of sai transverse y-movab e rictionr 1 blocks, and connecting means between said FREDERICK TOYWNBEND' 5 shelland the rear follower for causing said Witnesses:

longitudinally-movable friction shell or case H. M. MUNDAY, to return to its normal position when the lon- WILLIAM A. GEIGER. 

